The speculation about him returning home began in earnest after LeBron James went home to Cleveland this summer. The Washington Wizards have a good young team and will have cap space in 2016, which makes Durant-to-D.C. at least plausible. In addition, Durant sent Wizards fans into a tizzy in July when he gushed about his hometown and didn’t rule out leaving OKC.

For the next two years every single Durant quote and decision will be examined and reexamined for its implications on the theory that he’ll return home.

Monday morning we got a perfect example of this. Durant set the NBA world ablaze with a four-wood tweet to an ESPN journalist who asked him about D.C.

Again, Durant won’t become a free agent until 2016. He still has two more season to play with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the excitement for his free agency is already nearing hysteria.

In recent years, the free agencies of LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony have become giant months-long spectacles. If the hype around Durant is this big two years before his contract expires, it could become absurd when he’s actually able to sign with another team.